Bottle-filling machine.



PATENTIID AUG. 30, 1904.

No. 758,960v

I. C. H. STRASBURGER. BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1903.

.N0 MODEL.

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No. 768,960. PATLNTLD AUG. so, 1904. I. G. H. SIRASBIIIIGLR. BOTTLEFILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1903.

NO MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 768,960. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

I P. C. H. STRASBURGER.

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHBBTS-SHEET 3.

x A f Patented August 30, 1904.

UNTTED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. H. STRASBURGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOTTLERSSPECIAL MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BOTTLE-.FILLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 768,960, dated August30, 1904.

Application filed July 9,1903. Serial No. 164,815. (No model.)

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Be it known that I, FRANK C. H. STRASBUR- GER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle-Filling Machines, of which the following` is a specification.

This invention relates to novel improvements on the bottle-fillingmachine covered by ro United States Letters Patent N o. 7 32,065, datedJune 30, 1903; and its objects are primai-ily to compel properpositioning of each bottle in the machine and provide for automaticallydischarging the bottles after they have been illed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a central sectional View of amachine embodying the invention, two filling tubes and valves onlybeing' shown to avoid confusion. Fig. zo 2 is a similar view on the line2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the connection between the actuating-leverand a bottle-rest. Fig. 4; is a top plan View of the bottle-chute,showing two bottle-rests in relative position thereto. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of the bottle-chute, showing' the forward bottle-rest a littlein advance of its position in Fig. I and slightly elevated. Figs. 6 and7 are detail views of the actuating-cam and its guard. Figs. 8 and 9 aresectional views of one of the filling-valves. I

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures of the drawings, and referring thereto 12 is a base 3 5 ofsuitable character, and 13 is a drivingshaft journaled in bearings 14and carrying the belt-pulleys 15 and a worm 16, meshing with theworm-gear 17 on the vertical driven shaft 18. A plate 19 is fastened onthe driven shaft above the base and carries at its periphery a number ofarms 20, each of which is bored to receive and guide the stem 21 of abottle-rest 22. The bottle-rest isprovided with a guard 23, Figs. et, 5,andan extension 24 for apurpose hereinafter described. The bottle-restis thrust upward by means of a crank-lever which is preferably in theform of an elbow and has its long arm 25 con-- nected bylinks 26, Fig.3, with the upper part of the stem and its short arm 27 provided 5o withan antifriction-roller 28, arranged to travel around a cam 29, rigidwith the base. The actuating-lever is carried by a support 30, which maybe connected with the plate 19,

as shown, or made independent thereof.

The machine may be constructed to 'accommodate at one time any number ofbottles; but in Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown but two sets of the illingmechanism to avoid Confusion.

It will be understood, of course, that the cam is constructedto move thebottle-rest up- `Ward after the empty bottle has been placed thereon andhold it .up in engagement with and to open the iilling-valve until thebottle has been filled, at which time the cam permits the bottle-rest todescend, so that the illed bottle can be removed. For the purpose ofinsuring the descent of the bottle-rest with the filled bottle at theproper time I provide a guard 29, Figs. 6, 7, at this part of 70-thecam, which provides a groove or channel in which the roller on theactuating -lever travels. The guard `compels the roller to follow thecam, and thus insures the descent of the bottle-rest at the proper time.The tank 35 is mounted on the upper end of the driven shaft and isprovided with a removable cover 36, adapted to be fastened securely inplace to conne the pressure therein. A regulating-valve 37 is providedto control the pres- 8O sure in the tank. A feed-pipe 38 is arranged ina stuffing-box 39 in the cover of the tank and discharges at its sideinto a spout 40, which is carried by oat 41, provided with a sleeve 42to receive the pipe 38. 8 5

The lower end of the pipe 38 is closed, and it discharges at the sideinto the spout 40 when alined therewith, so that the beer will pref,-erably be discharged close to the bottom of the tank to avoid producingfoam. When the 90 oat is in its lowest position, the spout will bealined with the discharge-opening in the side of the feed-pipe; but asthe beer rises in the tank it will carry the float up with it until thespout is out of alinement with said dischargeopening, and thus cut offthe supply. The

float thus automatically regulates the supply of beer in the tank, andit can be suitably constructed and set to vary the quantity as desired.

I do not claim herein the valve mechanism, as this forms thesubject-matter of a divisional application, Serial No. 197,794, filedMarch 1Q, 1904. Bricfly,ythe valve mechanism comprises a body 43 with acentral bore 45, communicating with the filling-tube 46, which extendsthrough the enlarged bore 55 of the head 50. The liquid-valve 48 isconnected to the head by rods 49, and springs 51 on the rods hold thevalve normally seated. Then a bottle is forced against the seat 58 onthe head, the latter is raised and the valve 48 is unseated to permitthe liquid to fiow into the bottle. To equalize the pressure in thebottle and tank, I provide a passage 59 in the body 43, which opens atits lower end in a space inclosed by the gasket 56 between the body andthe head and at its upper end in a chamber GO, which contains thespring-pressed valve 61 and communicates with the tube 65. The stem 62is arranged to be engaged by the head on its initial upward movement tounseat the air-valve, and thus permit equalization of pressure in thebottle and tank before the liquid-valve has been completely opened.

A discharge-chute 69 is supported on a bracket 70 and provided with anarm 71, which projects across and above the path of movement of thebottle-rests when they are in position to discharge the filled bottles,Figs. 1, 4, 5. rI`he inner end of the bottom 7 2 of the chute projectsbeneath the bottle-rests and is recessed on its upper face at 73 toreceive the bottle-rests, so that the bottle may slide from the rest inthe same plane onto the bottom 72 of the chute. The bottle-rest carriesthe bottle against the arm 71, which causes the bottle to slide towardand onto the extension 24 of the rest, whereupon it is engaged by thenext bottle-rest and pushed into the chute. In this way the bottles areautomatically discharged from the machine and push each other into thechute without requiring any attention on the part of the operator, sothat the machine can be run at a comparatively high speed. The chute maybe constructed of a size adapted to receive a large number of bottles,or it may communicate with a convcyer for carrying the bottles to thesterilizer or to the labeling-machine. r[he bottle-rest reaches itslowest position when about to discharge the bottle and carries the mouthof the bottle below the filling-tube, so that the bottle can bedischarged without tipping; but I prefer that the operator shallproperly arrange the empty bottle on thc rest, with the lower end of thefilling-tube in the mouth of the bottle to avoid all liability of thefillingtube striking' the wall of the bottle-mouth and breaking it. Itherefore construct the cam so that it will raise the bottle-restslightly after it discharges the bottle, as shown in Fig. 5, and Iprovide a guard 74 on the arm 71 of the chute. The guard prevents thebottle being arranged on the rest until it has moved upward a littlefrom its lowest discharge position, and when in this position the bottlecan only be arranged thereon by tiltingI it in the manner shown in Fig.1 to cause the filling-tube to enter its mouth. This prevents theoperator from carelessly arranging the bottle in the machine, whichmight result not only in the breaking of the bottles, but also ininjuring the filling mechanism and wasting the liquid.

It will of course be understood that for each bottle in the machinethere is an independent mechanism for raising the bottle and anindependent valve mechanism, and therefore a machine can be constructedto accommodate at one time as many bottles as may be desired. The cam ispreferably timed so that the bottle will descend immediately or shortlyafter it is filled and so that it can be discharged properly into thechute. The construction may be such that the operator can insert twobottles at a time, and as the bottle itself is utilized to open thevalve it will be apparent that should the operator fail to arrange thebottle on a rest the valve mechanism would not he operated, and hencenone of the liquid would be wasted, and as the bottle is tightly clampedagainst the head it does not matter particularly how long the valveremains open.

The invention can be embodied in machines which differ more or less inconstruction from the one illustrated in the drawings and herewithdescribed, and I would therefore have it understood that I reserve theright to make all changes which may be fairly considered to come withinthe purview of my invention.

I have described the machine as used for filling bottles with beer; butthis is only one of the uses of the invention, and it can be used insame manner for filling' bottles with other liquids.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement ofparts herein shown and described, what I claim, and. desire to secure byLetters Patent, isf*- 1. In a bottle-filling machine, a number ofbottle-rests adapted to support the bottles to be filled and eachprovided with an extension on one side thereof and a guard on the otherside, a chute to receive the filled bottles, and an arm projectingacross the path of the bottles to sweep each bottle onto the extensionof its rest and into position to be pushed into the chute by the guardon the followingI bottle-rest.

2. In a bottle-filling machine, a number of bottle-rests provided withextensions, a chute to receive the filled bottles, the bottom of saidchute being projected beneath the path of movement of the bottle-restsland recessed on IOO its upper face to receive the` bottle-rests so thatthe bottle may slide therefrom Vinto the chute in the same plane, andmeans for discharging the bottles from the rests.

3. In a bottle-filling machine, a number of rests for holding thebottles and arranged to travel in a substantially circular orbit fromreceiving to discharging positions, each of said rests being providedwith an extension extending rearwardly according to its direction oftravel and adjacent to the it'ollowing rest, means for moving the bottlefrom its tilling position on the rest onto the extension thereof, andmeans on the following rest for pushing the bottle oli' of the extensionot' the preceding rest. f

4. In a bottle-filling machine, a number of iilling-tubes, abottle-restlocated beneath each iilling-tube and traveling' therewith,and means for moving' the bottle-rests vertically, said means operatingto carry the lilled bottle down so that it can be removed from thelmachine without tilting and thereafter moving the bottle-restup slightlyto compel the tilting of an empty bottle to be inserted on the rest withthe end of the lling-tube in the mouth of the bottle.

5. In a bottle-lling machine, a number of filling-tubes, a bottle-restlocated beneath each lilling-tube and traveling therewith, means formoving the bottle-rests vertically', said means operating' to carry thefilled bottle down so that it can be removed from the machine withouttilting' and thereafter movingv the bottle-rest up slightly to compelthe tilting ot' an empty bottle to be inserted on the rest with the-endof the tube in the mouth thereof, and a guard arranged to prevent theinsertion of a bottle on a rest while in its discharge position.

FRANK C. H. STRASBURGER. l/Vitnesses:

WVM. O. BELT, MAUDE TowNE.

